Banking and Finance
BSc (Hons)

This course is available as a 3 year degree, 4 year extended degree, or 4 years with a placement.

If you choose the 4 year extended degree, the first year of your study will be delivered by our partner, Cambridge Ruskin International College (CRIC) on our Cambridge campus. In years 2 to 4 you'll study with us in Chelmsford.

Overview

You're ambitious. You understand the kind of skills you need to get ahead in the banking, financial and commercial sector – and our full-time Banking and Finance course is packed with relevant, up-to-date knowledge. Get essential insights in lectures and practical experience with our Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab in Chelmsford. Take a placement year in industry, and find the right career path for you. Your future is in your hands.

You want to feel ready to look for a job in the sector when you graduate. This means having a strong grasp of the equipment you’ll use in your career. This is why we grant our students access to our Bloomberg Lab from the first year – so you learn in supportive way that’s unique to the university environment. This way you’ll get proper experience of the trading floor and know your way around the financial world before you graduate.

You understand that networking is a smart move for your career. We aim to make the most of our industry connections, and have established links with a number of professional bodies across the banking and finance sectors. Regularly held talks and seminars with experts and industry professionals offer you an insight into the business, and give you a chance to form your own links. From learning from inspiring external guest speakers to participating in workshops in the City, you will actively experience the finance and banking world. Because you won’t learn all tricks of the trade just by sitting in the lecture theatre.

You’ll be able to test your skills during in-class seminars and take them to the next level with tailored extra-curricular activities. Our student-led Investment Group is a supportive society that encourages collaboration and lifting each other up. Together with your peers, you will exchange your ideas, get constructive feedback, take initiative and most importantly - learn not to fear failure, but to build your success on it instead.

Here at ARU, we understand the importance of collaboration in the contemporary business and financial world. So develop your cooperative skills and idea generation with course-based societies - to help you become a stronger player on the job market.

Careers

There are exciting career opportunities across a range of banking and finance disciplines, in both the private and public sectors.

You may find yourself working in a global corporation, a small to medium enterprise (SME) or even for yourself – and it’s not unusual for company CEOs to come from a finance background.

You may wish to move into a role in the financial markets, in areas such as FX management, derivative markets or equity fund management. Or you could opt to gain experience in the banking sector in areas such as credit risk management, or mergers and acquisitions.

You might choose to enhance your education and career prospects further still by taking a postgraduate degree, such as our MSc Accounting and Finance.

We work with employers to make sure you graduate with the knowledge, skills and abilities they need. They help us review what we teach and how we teach it – and they offer hands-on, practical opportunities to learn through work-based projects, internships or placements.

We have strong, established, links with a number of professional bodies across the banking and finance sectors, and you’ll come into regular contact with guest speakers from industry, commerce and the City.

Through our Business School Intern programme, around 35 students each year get a business mentor, work experience, exclusive training and development, and a reference from our Dean.

Modules & assessment

Year one, core modules

This module aims to equip you to function effectively as an independent self-learner within the higher education learning environment, with specific reference to the area of business management and business research. You will be introduced to the learning context and the responsibilities of the individual learner and encouraged to develop practical skills identified as being central to undergraduate business degree programmes. These will include the use of information technology, presentation skills (both individually and groups), critical thinking, report writing, business calculation, logical thinking in numeracy skills, problem solving, research and analytical skills using various database such as academic research databases including Fame, Osiris and Bloomberg. There are two elements of assessment within this module which will allow you to demonstrate skills such as research skills, data presentation, data interpretation, presentation and team working.
This will allow you to demonstrate your understanding of critical thinking, research and analysis and is designed to not only gain greater understanding of a range of commercial applications but also to enhance your employability and transferrable skills such as critical analysis, data presentation and interpretation.

Designed to provide a foundation across a broad range of legal issues, this module will provide you with an appreciation of the various ways in which law impacts on the domestic and international business environment. The module will focus on the nature and sources of business law in England; on contract law with regard to both goods and services and on the law of tort among others. There will also be a brief focus on the role of contract, with regards to employment law.

This module covers a range of topics selected to provide insight into the breadth of this subject. The module covers introductory monetary and banking theory as well as issues relating to policy and regulation of the banking and financial system. This module begins by reviewing the types of banks that you need to be familiar with, as well as the most common operations of these banks. It then progresses to consider recent issues in banking, including the financial crisis and the impact this has had on banking regulation. The role that the central bank has traditionally played in monitoring and protecting banks will be reviewed, along with a reflection on updates to this body. For the final part of this module, the specific accounting practices of banks will be introduced. Finally, banking risks and the practices used to manage these risks, will be reviewed.

This module introduces you to the basics of financial management. The purpose of this module is to equip you with a framework and basic tools and techniques necessary to make sound financial decisions. Both short and long term decisions need to be made within the corporate environment. In the short-term, organisations need to manage their liquidity position and to this end, you’ll learn about the main components of working capital management, including cash, inventory, receivables and payables management. Long term projects will also be evaluated using investment appraisal techniques such as accounting rate of return, payback method, internal rate of return and net present value analysis. The module will introduce you to the decisions that need to be made in relation to each of the concepts and the tools that can be used to aid in this decision-making. This will include evaluating sources of finance and the associated costs of each source, exploring the dividend policies that can be adopted by an organisation and the impact of such policies as well as using the aforementioned investment appraisal techniques to assess investment opportunities.

This module provides a solid grounding in the theory and application of the mathematical techniques widely used in Economics. Mathematics is the language of economics and the techniques taught in this module form the foundations upon which the material in subsequent years are built. The module begins with revision of basic algebra and then covers: exponents, roots and logarithms; manipulation of algebraic expressions; linear and non-linear functions and more. The module runs over semester 1 and semester 2 in the first year of BSc Business Economics.

This module builds on the first year Economics for Managers module, to help you develop a thorough understanding of the economic concepts and models that underpin micro and macroeconomics. Economic models are used to introduce you to the analytical methods of reasoning that form the core of economics. The module also emphasises ability to apply, analyse, and acknowledge the limitations of the theories and models. It aims to show how microeconomic and macroeconomic analysis casts light upon intellectual and real world policy issues.

The aim of this module is to build and develop understanding and application of mathematics and statistics, appropriate for business disciplines at the undergraduate level. The module begins by reviewing various techniques for collecting and presenting data. Some important measures and techniques for making sense of raw data are then introduced which are widely used by businesses when analysing both their internal and external environments. This module supports a range of numerical skills and techniques commonly developed within the modules “Introduction to Accounting and Finance” and “Foundations of Finance” both in a theoretical manner and a practical approach through the use of Microsoft Excel. This module also provides mathematics and statistics skills which are integral to the business finance and economics modules which you will take in future semesters as part of your ongoing development. You will be helped to develop further your hands-on skills in using Microsoft Excel in computer workshops to handle both small and large business data. Careful attention will also be paid throughout the module to the interpretation and application of the various quantitative methods and techniques to the solution of real-world business problems.

Year two, core modules

This module continues the thread of Business Analytics I, which as an introductory module includes fundamental principles and practical techniques in statistics.
Within Business Analytics II you will encounter additional statistical concepts, theories and techniques which will enable you to examine a wider range of questions and scenarios in business, economics, marketing and finance and as such gain an appreciation on the diverse application of statistics. The topics within the module include estimation and confidence intervals, statistical inferences, analysis of variance, linear and multiple regression. The focus is therefore to develop analytical and critical thinking in respect of the application of data, data analysis, statistical concepts, theories and techniques to business decisions. Each topic will be introduced, explained and illustrated with examples, followed by practical sessions using SPSS. You will acquire knowledge and skills to perform statistical inferences, understand the key concepts in hypothesis testing, interpret and apply the concepts of the simple linear regression model and be able to carry out analyses in statistical software. Therefore, you will establish a framework to solve problems and understand the validity and interpret the meaning of statistical information.

This module aims to provide you with a practical and theoretical knowledge of banking in a global environment. To do this you need to contextualise your studies with an understanding of financial markets and products, something the module delivers through lectures and tutorials. The module analyses the changing structure and role of international commercial banks and the growth of international investment banking. The module considers the role of banks in creating and relieving international sovereign-debt crises and approaches to sovereign risk assessment. The role of central banks is examined, with particular emphasis on the contrasting approaches of the major central banks. The extent and nature of banking regulation is discussed, together with the adequacy of current regulatory structures. One of the main focuses for the design of this module has been the further development of relevant employability and professional skills. It’s assessed by group presentation and individual essay. The group presentation encourages the development of skills around teamwork as well as encouraging planning and compromise within groups. The individual essay encourages you to work independently as well as source and present relevant information.

Within this module you will be introduced to how sustainability (economic, environmental, social and governance) issues have a direct impact on risk exposure and management and the quality of public, private and government debt/equity investments within the global financial market.
By the end of the module, you will understand how these issues affect investment decisions made by institutional investors, corporate lenders, insurance companies, asset management funds, hedge funds, venture capitalists and retail investors, as well as business decisions made by corporate managers.

This module has been designed to establish an understanding of financial intermediaries (with the emphasis on banks, insurance and pension companies, mutual funds and hedge funds), including their capital structure, their lending decisions and their attitude to risk. It relates to other modules on your course including Foundations of Finance, Business Analytics, Financial Management, furthermore, it will help you acquire knowledge of the financial intermediaries' roles in transmitting the regulatory blueprints from banking regulatory authorities.
The module investigates the functions of financial intermediaries, and the regulations that have been put in place before, during and after the recent financial crisis. Particular attention is paid to the Basel Accords and to the new arrangements in the US and the UK. In doing so, the ethics of banking practices will be considered. The analysis is widened to include the emerging markets and proposals to reform the IMF as an international lender of last resort. The final session focuses on the peculiar difficulties faced by countries in the Eurozone.
The module will be assessed via 3 hour unseen examination to ensure full coverage of topics under review.

This innovative and exciting career-focused module will help you develop the employability skills and capabilities that are needed to compete successfully in the graduate labour market whilst seeking to provide you with knowledge, support and insight into the contemporary world of work and the business market. The module will also develop your skills and is therefore practical and engages you in case study exercise, real-life scenarios, audit and skills testing techniques and invites external guest speakers and employers to provide insight and input. The lectures and seminars will provide key inputs to help introduce you to fundamental employability concepts, insights and techniques, drawn from the world of business and management, but also from other disciplines such as sociology, social psychology and the humanities.

This module builds on the Macro and Microeconomics, maths and statistics modules of the first year. It aims to develop a solid grounding in the tools and modelling approaches that underlie much of modern economics – both applied theory and empirical work.
The module contents covers the core theory, developing an integrated model of goods, financial and labour markets. We focus on the three central variables of macroeconomics – output, unemployment, and inflation – and examine what factors may cause changes in these variables. The course introduces a unified framework for understanding the role of macroeconomic policy, namely the IS-LM model. We extend the IS-LM model to include an open economy and to explore the impact of fluctuations in exchange rates on international trade and cross border flows of capital.
Successful completion of the module will allow you to begin applying rigorous economic analysis to issues and to have sufficient grasp of the tools of economic analysis begin to read the economic literature and to succeed in the final year applied economics modules.

Quantitative Methods for Banking and Finance module provides banking, finance and business analytics students with rigorous grounding of the essential econometrical skills that are required to solve 21st century banking, finance, economics and business analytics problems. You will be exposed to the fundamental econometric theories, tools and/or concepts in the context of linear regression setting. To this end, part of the learning process will make use of the Bloomberg terminal and the SPSS software package in parallel with the learning experience to help alleviate, articulate and eliminate theoretical and empirical problem areas. There will be a good balance of roughly 50% theory and 50% practice throughout the semester. The module is designed to minimise lecture and maximise hands-on experience in problem solving during the weekly lab sessions.
Towards the end of this module, you will have an appreciation of the difficulties and complexities in solving real-world problems in the areas of banking, finance, economics and business analytics whilst concurrently accumulate the experience in using the econometrical tools from this module to further their studies such as mastering the art of modelling and forecasting.
You will also have the opportunity to complete and pass the Bloomberg Market Concept (BMC) modules with the added bonus of earning Bloomberg Certification. The functional and practical knowledge gained from learning and using the SPSS software package will enhance your analytical research ability and employability for the job market.

Placement year (Optional)

This is a pass/fail optional module. In a competitive job market, understanding how the professional work place functions, along with well-developed employability skills, are key to a graduate securing employment. The work placement gives you the opportunity to put into practice what would have been learned in the first two years and to enter their final year with the insights of their practical experience in the field. During this module you will undertake a work-based learning internship with a company or organisation where they will be supported in developing effective professional practices through guidance in generic and specific employability skills and through developing independent reflective learning practices to enhance your continuing professional development in the context of your own working environment. The module aims to provide you with experience of work in a business environment including familiarisation with a professional work environment. The module will be underpinned by employability skills training, reflective assessment and support from academic tutors. You will expected to be able to reflect on your experience in writing and orally, and demonstrate how you have applied theory, and learnings to date within a work-based environment. The assessment aims to support and develop your ability to demonstrate your professionalism, leadership and managerial skills to a prospective employer whilst also learning key communication and personal skills. - You must secure a placement, or placements (maximum 3) amounting to 9 months duration with minimum term of 3 months per placement. - Placement can start at any point from 1 June and must have started by 1 October.

Year three, core modules

The recent banking crisis has motivated heightened discussion of the merits of bank regulations used to minimise the risk of bank distress and intervention tools to mitigate its effects. In this module you’ll study technical aspects of bank regulation, supervision and intervention to resolve crises. This module also introduces and explains the legal and regulatory environment in which financial institutions operate and explain the legal and enforcement powers of financial regulators effectively. You’ll be taught to address the following questions: Why do banks and financial institutions have to employ such extensive compliance departments? Where does banking risk arise in financial markets and transactions? How is banking failure managed? As well as making reference to and explaining the genesis of the international standards, in particular Basel I, II and III and Dodd-Frank Act, reference is made to their implementation, interpretation and enforcement within the banking and regulatory systems of the US, EU and the UK as well as emerging markets. You’ll learn to use the Bloomberg Trading Terminal to access Banking-related data. You’ll be assessed by a 3,000 word report.

This module encourages you to recognise the importance and special role of money in an advanced industrial society. The module seeks to give you a thorough understanding of monetary theories and of the monetary policies that Governments enact based on these theories. While special emphasis is given to contemporary issues, such as the role of the single currency, the module seeks to understand how we have arrived at the current situation. To this end the module investigates our understanding of money and alternatives to traditional money supplies. The module will then explore how monetary policy work and the links between this policy and the macro-economy. Following the most recent financial crisis the role of intermediation in monetary policy is also explored. The theories behind monetary policy, from Keynes to those contemporary alternatives, and their practical application will also be investigated. The role of the central bank in the setting and managing of monetary policy will also be reviewed. Finally this module will consider the implementation of the single currencies, its aims and impact, as well as the issues surrounding such a monetary union. This module will be assessed via both a 2,400 word report, intended to develop critical thinking and writing skills and a 35 minute test that will encourage independent study and time management skills.

This module will provide you with a rigorous grounding in the theory and practice of corporate finance at an advanced level, and a thorough synthesis of the most important current research in corporate finance, with an emphasis on the applications of the principles. Both normative and positive aspects of the theory are examined, together with supporting descriptive and empirical evidence. This module extends, develops and applies some of the materials introduced in previous modules and focuses on key aspects of the financial operations related to maximising the valuation of a corporation in an international environment. Principles that corporations use in their investment and financing decisions making are reviewed and practices evaluated. This includes portfolio management, fisher's separation theorem, and arbitrage pricing theory technical analysis, fundamental valuation and relative valuation investment strategy.

This module aims to provide an introduction to contemporary business research in the areas of accounting, finance and other relevant disciplines. It is designed to stimulate and excite as you explore a detailed area of contemporary research in modern business world. Your studies will include the introduction of theoretical frameworks, targeted literature searches, data collection using professional business database and data analysis utilising different methods. The final business report allows you to engage in a substantial piece of individual desk-based/secondary research focussed on a field relevant to their degree award and subject area under the supervision and guidance of members of academic staff. With guidance you will conduct business research based on theoretical frameworks, evaluate and critically appraise a range of information, investigate and adopt suitable desk-based methodologies to work with data, and determine solutions to those business research problems.

Managers often make decisions without knowing exactly what will happen in the future. The purpose of business forecasting is to reduce the uncertainty and to make better estimates or statements about events whose actual outcomes (typically) have not yet been observed. This module provides students with a sound understanding on forecasting models, including qualitative and quantities techniques, in particular time-series methods that have wide applications in business.
Computer simulation methods are among the most commonly used approaches to assist in making decisions in investments, sales forecasting, scheduling, inventory control etc. This module teaches students the skills required to apply simulation to imitate a real world business problem, then to study impacts of changes, and finally, to draw conclusions and make action actions based on the results of simulation. Students will be taught how to use commercial simulation software such as Simul8 and Microsoft Excel.

Financial Investment Analysis provides finance academics and practitioners alike with a powerful tool to understand the financial investment world. This module equips you with the prerequisite background to comprehend investments by looking into the fundamentals and try to capture the salient features of financial data.
This module extends, develops and applies some of the materials introduced in Financial Management and Foundations of Finance with rigorous grounding in the quantitative methods taught in Business Analytics I and II as well as Quantitative Methods for Banking and Finance. The module introduces and reviews statistical techniques and proceeds rapidly to model building and applications with financial securities from the Bloomberg Terminal. By the end of this module, you will have an appreciation of the difficulties and complexities of the financial world whilst concurrently will be ready to apply the tools and techniques to the art of value investing.

Assessment

We'll assess your work in a number of ways including exams, coursework, essays and activity-based assignments. Your coursework could include problem-solving activities, consultancy projects, presentations, a computer-based exam, a portfolio based on Bloomberg trading simulation and group or individual reports. You'll also be able to access support materials through our learning management system (Canvas).

This combination of assessments has been carefully designed with your career progression in mind; it gives you opportunities to develop and improve on the transferable skills employers look for.

This is a 3 year programme (or 4 years with placement)

Alongside your core modules you will pick a number of optional modules. Please note that modules are subject to change and availability.

Where you'll study

Your faculty

You have a highly active mind and see opportunity everywhere. Now you need theory and life-changing skills to sharpen your approach to management. At the Faculty of Business & Law, you will immerse yourself in a multicultural environment where technology blends with teaching to create a dynamic and innovative learning environment. An environment to help you gain those skills.

Where can I study?

Additional study information

You’ll study in our Centre of Excellence in Accounting and Finance, supported by academic researchers, professionals and our Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab – a bespoke financial trading platform providing live financial information about companies trading on global stock exchanges. The Lab is integrated into the curriculum to enhance your learning, professional development and employability as well as encourage your interest in the financial markets. It also gives staff and students to opportunity to collaborate. There’s also a Bloomberg app, so you can access the Lab while you’re on the move.

We want to make sure that you’re fully prepared for an increasingly competitive job market, so we offer a four-year degree option which includes a work placement in the third year. It’s an opportunity to apply and enhance your skills while developing new ones. You’ll also build valuable professional networks.

It could be that you have one placement during Year 3, or you could have two or three, giving you the chance to experience different organisations and working practices. Many of our students find that their placement company hires them when they graduate. We have a specialist team to help you find a placement and support you during this year. You might work in the UK or go abroad: our students have worked at leading organisations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Bosch, BMW, Airbus, BskyB and KPMG. This period of work experience can help set your final-year studies in context and may well help with your dissertation topic. All in all, it’s a fantastic way to stay ahead of the competition!

Studying abroad

You could broaden your horizons by spending time living and studying abroad. This could be a short study visit or a semester spent in Europe, Canada, the USA or Malaysia. It will look great on your CV and help you take advantages of opportunities in the international job market.

Fees & funding

Course fees

UK & EU students starting 2019/20 (per year)

£9,250

International students starting 2019/20 (per year)

£13,100

Placement year (UK, EU, international students)

£1,250

Fee information

For more information about tuition fees, including the UK Government's commitment to EU students, please see our UK/EU funding pages

How do I pay my fees?

Tuition fee loan

You can take out a tuition fee loan, which you won’t need to start repaying until after your graduate. Or alternatively, there's the option to pay your fees upfront.

International students

Funding for UK & EU students

Most new undergraduate students can apply for government funding to support their studies and university life. This includes Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans. There are additional grants available for specific groups of students, such as those with disabilities or dependants.

Funding for international students

Entry requirements

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Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements. Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course, please email answers@anglia.ac.uk for further information.

We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.

International students

We welcome applications from international and EU students, and accept a range of international qualifications.

01245 686868

International students

2020 UK and EU students

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